Letter: Stealing from the rich immoral

The newspapers and the television are full of the same demands - the rich should pay their fair share!

Comment

By Dr. G.F. WelchLeavenworth

The Leavenworth Times - Leavenworth, KS

By Dr. G.F. WelchLeavenworth

Posted Mar. 13, 2013 at 8:30 PM
Updated Mar 13, 2013 at 8:33 PM

By Dr. G.F. WelchLeavenworth

Posted Mar. 13, 2013 at 8:30 PM
Updated Mar 13, 2013 at 8:33 PM

To the editor:

The newspapers and the television are full of the same demands - the rich should pay their fair share!

This implies that the more that you make, the more you should pay. It also implies there is something inherently wrong in making more than others. Christians also jump on this bandwagon all too often. We remember that Jesus told us to share with those less fortunate. This is one of the central themes of the Bible and of Christianity.

However, we should also focus on the fact that He told us to do this willingly and out of love. Yet, when we support higher taxes, i.e. taking a fair share from others against their will based solely on our power at the ballot box, we are forcing them to participate. Put another way, we are stealing their money to give to those whom we believe are more needy. There is no merit in this approach since the Christian mandate is to share what WE have not what we can take from others.

One of the definitions that Webster's Dictionary provides for steal is a fraudulent or political deal. Whether we accept this definition or not, it is undeniable that Jesus did not tell us to take from another to give to the needy. We should be willing to donate from our own resources not to take from another to help those more needy.

There are also two ways to take your money by outright taxation and by issuing more currency that is not backed up by something solid such as the gold standard. The more money that is issued, the less each dollar is worth. This is a form of taxation that everybody who holds any money pays. It is also immoral and outright fraud to create worthless dollars and debt that we will never be able to pay off.

Finally, we should remember that our Constitution claims for all of us the right to pursue happiness. It does not guarantee us happiness but only the liberty to go after it. Both major political parties seem to have conveniently forgotten these truths in order to secure votes. The Conservative Party has not. That's why it grew by 50 percent last year.